Questions · Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve questions for the night before
Questions for the slow, cozy hours of Christmas Eve: matching pajamas, cookies set out for later, the family home from the candlelight service and presents still being wrapped in the next room.
- 21 questions
- EN + TL on every card
- Free in the app
Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.
How do you usually unwind after a long day?
Paano ka usually nagpapahinga pagkatapos ng mahabang araw?
Everyone has a different way of landing after a full day. It can be quiet, active, social, or very simple.
Iba-iba tayo ng paraan mag-settle after a long day. Puwedeng tahimik, active, may kasama, o simple lang.
The questions
21 Christmas Eve questions
Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.
In matching pajamas
5 questions
Light and cozy, for the couch and the first mug of cocoa.
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Describe your favorite quiet moment at home in one sentence.
I-describe in one sentence yung favorite mong tahimik na moment sa bahay.
Back of the card
Quiet at home can be its own kind of treat. Sometimes the best part is that nothing needs to happen.
Yung tahimik sa bahay, treat din minsan. Minsan best part na yung walang kailangang mangyari.
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How do you usually unwind after a long day?
Paano ka usually nagpapahinga pagkatapos ng mahabang araw?
Back of the card
Everyone has a different way of landing after a full day. It can be quiet, active, social, or very simple.
Iba-iba tayo ng paraan mag-settle after a long day. Puwedeng tahimik, active, may kasama, o simple lang.
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Describe a tiny routine you do even if nobody notices.
I-describe yung tiny routine mo kahit walang nakakapansin.
Back of the card
Tiny routines can be private proof that you have your own way of moving through the day.
Yung tiny routines, private proof minsan na may sarili kang way gumalaw sa araw, sa sarili mong style.
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Name a small thing people close to you know you always do.
Sabihin yung small thing na alam ng close sa'yo na lagi mong ginagawa.
Back of the card
Being known often lives in tiny details. The little things people remember can feel surprisingly sweet.
Minsan nasa tiny details yung feeling na kilala ka. Sweet din kapag naaalala ng tao yung small things mo.
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Pick your ideal weather: a warm rainy afternoon or a cool sunny morning.
Pumili ng gusto mong panahon: maulan pero mainit na hapon o maaraw pero malamig na umaga.
Back of the card
Choose a sound to go with your weather.
Pumili ng tunog na bagay sa pinili mong panahon.
Christmases we remember
6 questions
Stories from childhood, and from the years things went sideways.
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Tell us about a small childhood memory you still remember clearly.
Kuwento mo yung maliit na childhood memory na malinaw pa rin sa'yo.
Back of the card
The memories that stay are not always the biggest ones. Sometimes one small scene keeps its color for years.
Hindi laging pinakamalaki ang memories na naiiwan. Minsan isang maliit na scene ang malinaw pa rin kahit ang tagal na.
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When you think of home, what small detail comes up first?
Kapag naiisip mo ang home, anong maliit na detail ang unang pumapasok?
Back of the card
Home can be a smell, a sound, a person, a room, or one ordinary detail that stayed.
Pwedeng amoy, tunog, tao, kwarto, o isang ordinaryong detail ang home. Minsan yun ang unang bumabalik.
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Which everyday sound reminds you of home right away?
Anong everyday sound ang nagpapaalala agad sa'yo ng home?
Back of the card
Home is not always a place first. Sometimes it is a sound you recognize before you even think about it.
Hindi laging lugar agad ang home. Minsan sound siya na kilala mo na bago mo pa isipin.
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Recall a harmless mistake that became a good story later.
Anong pagkakamali ang nakakatawa nang balikan ngayon, na wala namang nasaktan?
Back of the card
What would the title of this story be?
Ano ang magiging pamagat ng kuwentong ito?
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Tell about a ride home with friends that you still remember.
Magkuwento ng pag-uwi kasama ang friends na naaalala mo pa.
Back of the card
You could remember just the last thing someone said before you parted.
Puwedeng balikan ang huling sinabi bago kayo naghiwa-hiwalay.
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As you got older, which habit at home started to make more sense to you?
Habang tumatanda ka, anong habit sa bahay ninyo ang mas nagme-make sense na sa'yo ngayon?
Back of the card
Getting older can change the way you see home. A habit may look different once you know more of the story.
Habang tumatanda, nag-iiba rin minsan ang tingin natin sa bahay. May habit na mas naiintindihan kapag alam mo na ang kuwento.
Wrapping-paper questions
5 questions
For whoever is up late taping boxes, and the gift-giver in everyone.
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Who knows what you like, and what do they usually get right for you?
Sino yung alam ang gusto mo, at ano yung madalas nilang natatama para sa'yo?
Back of the card
Being known can feel ordinary like that. Someone remembers your usual, your no-thanks, or the thing you always reach for.
Minsan ganun kasimple yung feeling na kilala ka. May nakakaalala ng usual mo, ayaw mo, o lagi mong pinipili.
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What preference of yours do close friends remember without asking?
Anong gusto mo ang kabisado na ng close friends mo?
Back of the card
Imagine they had to choose it for you today. Would they still get it right?
Kung pipili sila para sa'yo ngayon, tama pa kaya ang pipiliin nila?
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How do you usually show a friend that you care?
Paano mo usually pinapakita sa friend na may care ka?
Back of the card
Care has many shapes: checking in, feeding people, remembering details, giving space, or staying when it gets inconvenient.
Maraming itsura ang care: nangangamusta, nagpapakain, nakakaalala ng details, nagbibigay ng space, o nananatili kahit hassle.
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If you could lend someone a superpower for one day, what power would you give?
Kung mapapahiram mo ng superpower ang isang tao nang isang araw, anong power ang ibibigay mo?
Back of the card
Imagine their first reaction when they try the borrowed power.
Isipin ang unang reaction nila kapag sinubukan ang hiniram na power.
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If someone were choosing a snack or drink for you, what’s one choice that would almost always work?
Kung may pipili ng snack o drink para sa'yo, ano yung halos laging okay sa'yo?
Back of the card
Tiny preferences can be an easy way to know someone better. It feels good when people remember the simple things.
Minsan sa small preferences tayo mas nakikilala. Nakakatuwa rin kapag may nakakaalala ng simple things about you.
When the house goes quiet
5 questions
For the last ones up, after the kids are finally asleep.
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Name one small hope that helps you keep going.
Magbanggit ng isang maliit na hope na tumutulong sa'yo magpatuloy.
Back of the card
A small hope can still carry real strength. It may be quiet, but it is not nothing.
May totoong lakas din ang maliit na hope. Tahimik man siya, hindi ibig sabihin wala siyang bigat.
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Name one good thing you are quietly hoping for.
Magsabi ng isang good thing na tahimik mong hinihiling lately.
Back of the card
Quiet hopes still deserve room. Saying them gently can remind you that wanting good things is not foolish.
May lugar din ang tahimik na hopes. Kapag nasabi mo sila nang gentle, naaalala mong hindi foolish ang umasa sa mabuti.
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If you could tell your younger self one piece of good news, what would it be?
Kung may isang good news kang masasabi sa batang ikaw, ano yun?
Back of the card
This is a gentle way to name progress. Not everything is fixed, but maybe there is something younger you would smile about.
Gentle way ito para makita yung progress. Hindi man ayos lahat, baka may isang bagay na ikakangiti ng batang ikaw.
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Name one small wish you have for yourself this year.
Ano yung isang maliit na wish mo para sa sarili mo this year?
Back of the card
Small wishes can still be honest. They may be easier to say out loud because they do not demand a perfect life.
Maliit man yung wish, honest pa rin. Minsan mas madaling sabihin kasi hindi niya hinihingi na perfect ang buhay.
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When did someone remind you of God's kindness recently?
Kailan may taong nagpaalala sa'yo ng kindness ni Lord recently?
Back of the card
God's kindness can reach us through people. Remembering those moments can make gratitude more concrete.
Puwedeng dumating ang kindness ni Lord through people. Kapag naalala mo yung moments na yun, mas nagiging concrete ang gratitude.
How to use them
Before you ask
Christmas Eve questions should be cozy rather than big: the sound that means home, the tiny routine you keep, the Christmas from childhood you remember most clearly. It’s a night of waiting, and good questions make the waiting the best part.
Every family has its own Christmas Eve. Some go to a candlelight service and come home to soup, some open one present early, some spend the evening wrapping and arguing about tape. Whatever yours looks like, there’s usually a stretch where everyone is together with nothing to do. Ask the light questions then, and save the stories for when the lamps are off and the tree is the only light in the room.
The quiet questions are for the adults who stay up after the kids are asleep. If your family keeps the Filipino midnight feast, see Noche Buena questions; for the day itself, there are Christmas dinner questions.
Good for
Tips
- Tuck a question card into the Christmas Eve box with the pajamas and cocoa.
- Ask the grandparents about the Christmas Eve they remember from childhood.
- Keep screens off for one round by the tree, even a short one.
- Save the quiet questions for after bedtime, when the grown-ups finally sit down.
- If the day was hectic, pick a single question and call it a tradition.
Decks for this
Christmas Eve
Frequently asked questions
What are good questions to ask on Christmas Eve?
Cozy, story-shaped questions: a sound that reminds you of home, a childhood memory you still see clearly, a small wish for the coming year. They suit the slow, waiting mood of the night.
What can families do together on Christmas Eve?
Besides the movie and the cocoa, a round of questions by the tree is an easy new tradition: light ones for the kids, childhood stories from the grandparents, and quieter ones for the adults after bedtime.
How is this different from Christmas dinner questions?
Christmas Eve is the slower night of waiting; Christmas dinner is the big meal. These questions are for pajamas and the tree, and the dinner list is for the table.
Bring a better question to the table.
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